Charting a CourseHow Social Media Can Help Today’s eLearners Reach Their Goals

Presented By:

Jill McNairELN 104

SUSIE STUDENTOnline LearnerAnytown, planet earth

Past Education GED, High-school graduate, some college, BA, or Masters Degree

Learning Goals Get trained for a career in the new economy or advance current position

How I like to Learn From my computer, working around all the other responsibilities in my life. I like to have as much control/choices as possible. I like to connect with other students and instructors

What I Expect from My Instructors Teach me what I need to know to get a great job, be understanding if I am late with my assignments, be available to me if I have questions . . . Online office hours would be nice

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Can You Help Me?

We can help, but there is something very different about school now.

You’ve got to learn to collaborate!

The Collaborative Imperative

The world of work is increasingly collaborative, giving rise to reflection about the way student projects are structured.

The 2011 Horizon Reporthttp://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/HR2011.pdf)notes

Working together . . . The new normal

The Collaborative Imperative

“What it means to be skillful is going to change. No job has ‘be individual and isolated’ as a requirement. For almost everyone, a crucial mark of success is their ability to work effectively with others . . . The ability to work collaboratively is actually the ‘coin of the realm.’ And in a world where developing individual excellence is less and less important, school is going to increasingly need to be about developing the capacity to collaborate . . . developing the capacity to build distinctive strength and to use that strength in conjunction with others.”

Larry Summers, Keynote address about the future impact of technology in education. New York Times School for Tomorrow Conference. http://www.livestream.com/schoolsfortomorrowa/video?clipId=pla_035f90fb-ff23-4cd5-8706-2101d918e828

If you want to succeed in this new economy . . .

Are Students and Schools ready to take on this challenge?

How do we do this?

Studies show that students are like this . . .

How do we do this?

But what are their other learning characteristics?

Learner Characteristics:

Strengths

Multicultural

Ability to Multitask

Appreciation for Structure

Techno Savvy – Uses Technology and Social Media

Wants Instructors to Use Technology

Teamwork-Oriented

Preference for Interactive or Networked Activities

The Digital Native

Learner Characteristics

Weaknesses

Shorter Attention Span

Slower Reading Speed

Lower Reading Accuracy

More Susceptible to Distraction

Lack of Reflection

Cavalier Attitude Toward Quality of Sources

The Digital Native

Learner Characteristics

Strength or Weakness

Advanced scanning skills

Biased toward Experimental Acts

Appreciation for Structure

Non-Linear Learning

Adept at Processing and Interrupted Information Flow

Preference to Learn Via Pictures and Social Media

The Digital Native

Schools are often like this . . .

Schools have their strengths and weaknesses too

So what can schools do?

How Schools can Help

Design Student-Centered CoursesKeep learners’ needs at the top of the list

Balance Structure and FreedomStructure to keep them on track . . . Freedom to work creatively

Add Collaborative Elements to CoursesDiscussions, Debates, group projects, wikis, blogs, Peer Assessments. Keep a focus on real-world assignments and hands-on practice.

Create and Support an Active Learning CommunityRequire participation, but make it interesting and fun with opportunities to get to know others, practice skills, and learn new information

Have high ExpectationsExpect students to collaborate – and teach them how to. Expect students to utilize credible sources – teach them what credible sources are.

Today…

Retirement?

The Digital School

If schools can do this, graduates will look like this . . .

A happy ending!

And have skills like this . . .

Successful

Graduate

Nurtures and maintains

connections in Learning

Communities

Creates an e-Portfolio

Has experience using Web 2.0 tools

Knows how evaluate the worthiness of

learning materials

Values diversity of

opinions

Sees him/herself as active

contributors of knowledge

The Prepared Digital Native

Students are ready. Schools are ready. Let’s make this happen together!

The End